Ch. 13 Key Terms

Cape Horn

The southern tip of South America.

Prince Henry the Navigator

(1394 - 1460) Sponsored Portugal's exploration of Africa. His 3 objectives were to find a Christian kingdom with which to ally against the Muslims, acquire new trade opportunities for Portugal, and to extend Christianity. Founded a school for navigators on the southwestern coast of Portugal (1419).

Francisco Pizarro

(1470-1541) Took over the Inca Empire (Peru & Andes Mtns.)

Bartolome de las Casas

(1474-1566) A Dominican monk who participated in the Conquest of Cuba and received land and Native Americans in return for his efforts. However, a radical transformation took over him in 1514 that led him to realize that the Native Americans had been cruelly mistreated. He spent the remaining years of his life championing and empathizing with the NA's, fighting for their rights. Due to a large response to his influential book, The Tears of the Indians, the Spanish government eventually abolished the encomienda system in 1542 to provide more protection for the NA's.

Spice Islands

AKA The Moluccas of Indonesia. Explorers traveled here from all over the world, trying to obtain SPICES and goods.

Mozambique

A colony in southeast Africa formed at the end of the 16th century when the Portuguese est. a protectorate on the Mwene Metapa that forced the local ruler to grant large tracts of land to the European and private individuals living in the area.

Amerigo Vespucci

A Florentine who accompanied Portuguese explorer Pedro Cabral on several of his voyages. He wrote and published a series of letters describing the geography of the New World. The publication of these letters led to his name being given to the new lands ("America" from _ _ _ _ _ _ _).

Mwene Metapa

A Shona dynasty, native to the southeast African country of Zimbabwe. They had originally controlled the region south of the Zambezi River, and are believed to have built the present day city of Great Zimbabwe. Around the middle of the 15th century, they moved northeast toward the valley of Zambezi, where they encountered the arriving Portuguese, who were desperate for access to gold. The Portuguese est. ports on the Zambezi River, opening treaty relations with these people. At first, this group found Europeans a useful ally, but were betrayed after the Portuguese est. a protectorate that forced the local ruler to grant large tracts of land to European and private individuals living in the area at the end of the 16th century. These lands eventually combined to become the Mozambique colony. However, the Portuguese lacked security, a capital city, and expertise to dominate trade, leading a vassal of these people to successfully drive the Portuguese away from their plateau. The group maintained control of their area for the next two centuries.

John Cabot

A Venetian seafarer (sailor) that explored the New England coastline of the Americas under a license from King Henry VII of England.

Cape of Good Hope

A body of water just below Africa, many explorers crossed through it to get to the Spice Islands in Asia. The Dutch created a way station there 1652 en route to Asia.

Zimbabwe

A country in southeastern Africa located near the Zambezi River. Here, the gold trade was kept exclusively by the native Shona people. In the 15th century, this country went under the control of a Shona dynasty known as the Mwene Metapa.

Shari'a

A law code, originally drawn up by Muslim scholars shortly after the death of Muhammad, that provides believers with a set of prescriptions to regulate their daily lives.

Mumbai (Bombay)

A major city in India. Used to be named Bombay, but the Indian government changed many city names (obviously including Mumbai's) in the 1990's. A hot-spot for trade, and was located near where de Albequerque had established his headquarters in Goa, which is just a little bit to the south.

Malay Peninsula

A peninsula in Southeast Asia, and the southernmost point of the Asian mainland. Countries located here are: MALAYsia, Singapore, & Southern Thailand.

Malacca

A powerful trade city in Malaysia, from which the major impact of Islam came in the early 15th century. The rise of the new sultanate, whose founder was a Muslim convert, took place here. Alfonso de Albuquerque attacked this city in 1511, and helped destroy the Arab spice trade network by blocking the passage through the Strait of _ _ _ _ _ _ _, and provided the Portuguese with a way station en route to the Spice Islands and other east points.

Buddhism

A religion and philosophy based on the teachings of Sidhartha Gautama in about 500 BCE. Principally practiced in China, India, and other parts of Asia, this religion has 360 million followers and is considered a major world religion. Dominated lowland areas on the mainland of Southeast Asia, such as Burma and Vietnam.

Zambezi River

A river in southeastern Africa, located near Zimbabwe. Towards the upper area of the river was where the Bantu workers ran a gold mine.

encomienda system

A system instituted by Queen Isabella of Spain after she declared the Native Americans to be subjects of Castile. This system permitted the conquistadors to collect tribute from the natives and use the NA's as laborers. In return, the conquistadors also had to protect the NA's and supervise all of their needs. However, holders were 3,000 miles away from their government which allowed them to ignore the authority and implement the system as they pleased, by brutally using the NA's to pursue their own selfish interests. The government eventually abolished it in 1542 to provide more protection for the NA's,

audiencias

Advisory groups that aided the viceroys that governed each area. They also functioned as supreme judicial bodies.

Hutu

Also known as the Abahutu, are a population inhabiting the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi, and the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they form one of the principal population divisions alongside the Tutsi and the Twa.

Sao Tome

An island in the Bay of Biafra off the central coast of Africa. Here, the Portuguese est. a sugar plantation.

Philippines

Country made up of many islands that is located Southeast Asia discovered by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. Magellan's crew held onto this country, which would become a major Spanish naval base and trade center. The country would contain many Catholic converts from a large Catholic influence.

portolani

Detailed charts made by medieval navigators and mathematicians in the thirteenth and fourteenth century that were more useful than medieval maps. They had details on coastal contours, distances between ports, and and compass readings.

Boers

Dutch (white man) colony in Cape Town (S. Africa) populated by farmers. They speak Afrikaans here.

Afrikaans

Dutch dialect that the Dutch farmers of Boers (a colony in Cape Town, S. Af) spoke.

Incas

Francisco Pizarro overtook this empire in Peruvian Andes around the year 1470

The 3 G's

GOD, GLORY, and GOLD. These were the three main components (religion, glory, and wealth) that encouraged other countries to explore the world.

Alfonso de Albuquerque

In 1510, he established his headquarters at Goa. In 1522, this explorer attacked Malacca (Malaysia) itself, and his control of Malacca would help him destroy the Arab spice trade network by blocking passage through the Strait of Malacca, and by providing the Portuguese with a way station en route to the Spice Islands. He captured the Spice Islands for the Portuguese.

Bantu

Label for the ethnic group of Africa that speak the Bantu languages. After seizing a number of African port cities, the Portuguese wanted to monopolize the trade in gold, and the gold mines were mined by workers of this descent. They shipped the gold to Sofala (on the coast).

Kingdom of Songhai

Islamic trading empire in North Africa. Succeeding the kingdom of Mali, this Muslim kingdom was under the rule of King Askia Mohammed (1493-1528), and the state relied on Islamic institutions and ideas to strengthen unity and to centralize the authority. Mohammed embarked on a religious pilgrimage to Mecca, where he was recognized by the caliph of Cairo as the Muslim ruler of the Niger River valley. After returning from Mecca, Mohammed tried to revive Timbuktu as a major center of Islam, but he had little success with converting any subjects. Mohammed presided over a significant increase in trans-Saharan trade, which provided a steady source of income to this kingdom and other kingdoms in the region. Despite the efforts of Mohammed and his successors, centrifugal forces within the area eventually led to this kingdom's decline.

Java

Island in Indonesia. The Dutch East India Company (VOC)'s outpost was located here, and it established a great military force there. In this city, people planted pepper, which made a huge profit.

Goa

Located on the western coast of India, south of present day Mumbai/Bombay. Portuguese explorer Alfonso de Albuquerque eastablished his headquarters here in 1510. From here, the Portuguese raided Arab shippers.

Calicut

Now modern day Kozhikode in India. Vasco daGama arrived here after his fleet crossed the Arabian sea on May 18th, 1498. Vasco da Gama sailed there to destroy the Muslim monopoly over the spice trade, had a short and violent battle and seized the city. This city was a major stop on the long route from the Spice Islands to the Mediterranean Sea.

Gold Coast

On the west coast of Africa, the first people to arrive were the Portuguese, but eventually it was known as the British colony of Gulf of Guinea.

smallpox

One of the many diseases (along with measles and typhus) that European explorers and conquerors carried, which infected the Native Americans, who had little or no resistance to these diseases. This specific disease ravaged and tragically killed off most of the Native Americans.

Brazil

Pedro Cabral accidentally discovered the continent of South America after arriving on the coast of this country in 1500. In the present day, it is the only country in S. America that speaks Portuguese rather than Spanish.

Iberian Peninsula

Peninsula in which Spain and Portugal are located. Sugarcane was grown here in the 15th century by Europeans through African slaves

Ferdinand Magellan

Portuguese explorer that went on an expedition for Spain in the 1520s. His crew was the first to circumnavigate the globe, and even sailed west around Cape Horn. From there, he arrived in Cebu, an island Philippines, marking his discovery of the Asian country in 1521. While in the Philippines, he was eventually overthrown and killed in a skirmish with the Filipino locals. After his death, Sebastian del Cano took over, finishing the explorer's original job of circumnavigating the globe. Sebastian del Cano embarked the explorer's crew onto voyage to Tidor (Moluccas), which did not live up to expectations built, so they ended up selling their rights in Tidor to the Portuguese. The explorer's crew, however, held onto the Philippines, which would be a major Spanish naval base and trade center.

Pedro Cabral

Portuguese sea captain. Accidentally discovered the continent of South America (Brazil) in 1500.

Vasco daGama

Rounded the Cape of Good Hope about 10 years after Dias and stopped at several ports controlled by Muslim merchants along the coast of East Africa (Sofala, Kilwa, Mombasa). After locating a Muslim navigator, daGama's fleet crossed the Arabian Sea and arrived off the port of Calicut (modern day Kozhikode, in India) on May 18th, 1498. His voyage to India inaugurated an extended period of European expansion to Asia, led by merchant adventurers and missionaries, that lasted several hundred years and had effects that are still felt today. The Portuguese crown sponsored his voyage as he had a clear objective of destroying the Muslims over the spice trade, which the Portuguese agreed with. Though the Portuguese had not found any Christians, they did find spices. He returned to Europe with two less ships, but also brought lots of ginger and cinnamon that earned his investors a profit of several thousand percent.

Bartolomeu Dias

Rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1487. Feared mutiny from his crew and returned home without continuing onward.

Aztecs

Ruled by Moctezuma, this thriving empire in central Mexico was taken over by Hernán Cortés from 1519-1522.

Slave Coast

The historical name formerly used for parts of coastal West Africa. It is derived from the fact that it was a major source of African slaves during the Transatlantic slave trade from the early 16th century to the 19th century.

conquistadors

Spanish conquerors of the new lands. Mostly a hardy lot of upper-class individuals motivated by the 3 G's. Though the royalty gave them permission to travel, they were financed and outfitted privately rather than the government.

cloves

The aromatic flower buds of an Indonesian tree. They are native to the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice.

Thailand

The arrival of the Europeans had less of an impact here, as it was still ruled by cohesive monarchies that resisted foreign intrusion. The Portuguese established limited trade relations with this country's kingdom of Aythaya because this land lacked spices. In Ayuthaya, the French were forced to evacuate the area in the late 17th century, since the English and the French supported rival groups in the internal struggles of the monarchy.

Casa de Contrataction

The board of trade that supervised all economic matters related to the New World.

Council of the Indies

The chief organ of all colonial administration. It nominated viceroys (rulers, governors of certain areas) and oversaw government matters in the colonies.

Transatlantic Slave Trade (Middle Passage)

The journey from Africa to Americas across the Atlantic Ocean taken by slaves. Not many slaves survived, as ships were filled with a several hundred imprisoned slaves packed below deck ("tight pack" or "loose pack"). Surviving slaves endured weeks of harsh, cruel treatment aboard the ship, which led to them suffering from horrible conditions on the plantations. Those who did survive the journey across the Middle Passage did not have great chances at surviving, either, as many slaves had partial or no immunities to "white man's" diseases.

Columbian Exchange

The name historians gave to the impact the arrival of the Europeans had on the conquerors and the conquered. NA civilizations had their own unique qualities and practices and a special degree of sophistication that the conquerors disrespected and essentially destroyed. Europeans also ravaged the NAs with diseases like smallpox. Ancient social and political structures the NAs spent so long on forming were taken away and replaced by European institutions, religion, language, and culture (euro-centrism).

Islam

The religion derived from the teachings of Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah; literally, "submission" (to the will of Allah); also the culture and civilization based upon the faith. Dominated mainly these areas of Southeast Asia: Java and Sumatra (Indonesia)

Marco Polo

The son of Nicolo Polo and nephew of Maffeo Polo, merchants from Venice (Italy) and the most famous travelers to the East. He accompanied his father and his uncle on the journey to the court of the great Mongol ruler Khubilai Khan. He also traveled to Japan and did not return to Italy until 1295. He wrote an account of his experiences called the "Travels", which became one of the most informative of all the descriptions of Asia by medieval European travelers, and even Christopher Columbus had a copy of Travels in his possession when he began his voyage across the Atlantic.

Hernan Cortes

Took over the Aztec Empire (modern day central Mexico) around the years of 1519-1522.

Christopher Columbus

(1451-1506) Born in Genoa, Italy. An important figure in the history of Spanish exploration. Most Europeans at his time were aware that the Earth was round, but had little understanding of the Earth's circumference or how long the continent of Asia went on for. He thought that the circumference of the Earth was a lot smaller and that Asia was a lot larger and longer, so he was convinced he could sail to Asia from the west a lot faster than how long it would take to sail to Asia from the east (in which one would have to sail around Africa). The Portuguese rejected his idea, but he successfully convinced Queen Isabella of Spain to finance his expedition. In October 1492, he reached the Americas (approx. the Bahamas) and went out to explore the coastline of Cuba and the northern shores of the neighboring island of Hispaniola, still believing that he had reached Asia. He made three subsequent voyages to the New World (1493, 1498, and 1502) in which he reached all major islands of the Caribbean (he called it the "Indies") as well as Honduras. He clung onto the belief that he had found a new way to Asia until his death, but other explorers realized he actually found a New World.

Treaty of Tordesillas

(1494) Divided the routes to the New World into Portuguese and Spanish claims. The route across the Atlantic (excluding the eastern hump of South America) was now reserved for the Spanish, and the Cape of Good Hope was to be reserved for the Portuguese.

Dutch East India Company

(est. 1602) located in India/Spice Islands (aka VOC); outpost of Java and Sumatra (Indonesia) to control the spice trade

Burma

(modern-day Myanmar) The arrival of the Europeans had less of an impact here, as it was still ruled by cohesive monarchies that resisted foreign intrusion. The Portuguese established limited trade relations because this land lacked spices. In this country, the English and the French supported rival groups in the internal struggles of the monarchy until a new dynasty emerged and threw the foreigners out.

Hispaniola

(present-day Haiti) Islands in the Americas first spotted and explored by Christopher Columbus. There was a Native American population of 100,00 before the arrival of the Europeans (1493), and by 1570, the population was drastically lowered to 300.

Hernando de Soto

Spanish explorer and conquistador who led the first European expedition deep into the territory of the modern-day United States, and the first documented European to have crossed the Mississippi River.

African slave trade

Traffic in slaves had existed for centuries before Portuguese fleets arrived along African shores. West African states such as kingdoms of Mali and Songhai used slaves (whom were captured in battles with neighboring rivals) as agricultural laborers. The primary market for African slaves was the Middle East, where most were used as domestic servants. Still, slavery also existed in many European countries. In the lands near the Mediterranean, slaves from Africa or war captives from the north of the Black Sea were used for domestic purposes or as agricultural workers, as well. The Portuguese were the first to replace European (white) slaves to strictly African slaves taking about a thousand slaves from Africa each year. African slaves were mostly prisoners of war, captives, and the future children of slaves inherited their status by being born into the system. Nonetheless, most were inevitably going to serve as domestic servants for affluent families throughout Europe. When slave traders first began to take part in the slave trade, they would normally purchase slaves from local African merchants at the infamous slave markets in exchange for gold, guns, or other European manufactured goods. The majority of slaves sold were men. When slave traders then realized they could plant sugarcane (native to Indonesia) in South America and the islands of the Caribbean, it was then grown primarily by the African slaves in modest amounts on Cyprus, Sicily, and southern regions of the Iberian Peninsula by the 15th century. During the next two centuries, slave trade increased immensely, and about 275,000 enslaved Africans were brutally exported to other countries during the 16th century and 2,000 going annually to the Americas. Sadly, slavery's popularity skyrocketed among landowners, and was not abolished until the late 19th century.

Vietnam

the arrival of the Europeans had less of an impact here, as it was still ruled by cohesive monarchies that resisted foreign intrusion. The Portuguese established limited trade relations because this land lacked spices. However, in this country, the arrival of Western merchants and missionaries coincided with a period of internal conflict among rulers in the country. After the Europeans' arrival in the mid-17th century, the powers characteristically began to intervene in local politics, with the Portuguese and the Dutch supporting rival factions. By the end of the 17th century, it became clear that economic opportunities in this country were limited, and most European states abandoned their trading stations in the area. French missionaries tried to stay, but eventually their forts were hampered by the local authorities, who viewed the Catholic insistence that converts give to their primary loyalty to the pope as a threat to the legal status of the prestigious emperor of the country.